Prep Golf: Boylan, Danny Gorman capture state championships

Danny Gorman said he didn't care about winning a state golf title for himself; he just wanted one for his team.

Well, he got both Saturday.

And Boylan wouldn't have won its second state golf title if Gorman hadn't also won as an individual. Gorman shot even par 71 back-to-back days at Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State in Bloomington. That put Gorman one stroke ahead of Burlington Central's Matt Weber and the Titans (54-over par) one stroke in front of Dunlap at the Class 2A state tourney.

"That shows a lot about Danny; he's a team player first," coach John Canova said in a phone interview. "He puts the other guys in front of him."

And helped put his team in front of every other Class 2A team in the state.

"We relied on Danny very heavily and he came up big for us," Max Alexander said.

So did Alexander. Boylan's No. 3 golfer wasn't happy with his 82 Friday, but he came back with a 75 Saturday that was second only to Gorman among the three teams that brought home state trophies and tied for fifth out of all 110 golfers Saturday.

"I didn't show up (Friday) and I usually do," Alexander said. "I needed to do that for the team."

"We all knew Max would come through," Gorman said. "The way he came back shows his fight. He basically won it for us. It was huge to get a 75 in there."

At one point or another, Boylan could point to all six players and say they were huge. Kyle Slattery (75-79 at state) and Gorman have had their score count in every postseason round, but Alexander, Adam Eckburg, Mike Schmid and Max Marsili have taken turns having their scores count in the top four as Boylan joined its 2002 Class AA team as state champs.

"That's what really makes it a special team," Canova said. "At one time or another, every individual was the reason we are where we're at. They can all say they had a direct hand in getting us here."

None more so than Gorman, the only player to shoot even par Saturday.

"The past two days are the best golf I've ever played under this amount of pressure and stress," Gorman said.

Class 1A

Byron started in sixth and passed three teams, but missed a top-three state trophy by one stroke and second place by three when Nashville, which started in 10th, shot the best score of the day. Joe Hanlin (163 for two days) and Adam Marshall (165) led the Tigers.

"We wanted to make up strokes on the field, but Nashville did the same and came from nowhere," coach Tim Sedam said. "There was a lot of shock value. We're upset a little bit. Knowing we were only one shot away is frustrating."

Stockton shot the second-best score Saturday — seven strokes better than state champ El Paso-Gridley — and finished sixth, two strokes behind Byron. And its lone senior, Trey Timpe, returned to Stockton with the state individual champion's medal around his neck.

Timpe birdied his last two holes to finish 1-over for the day and 1-over for the tournament at Prairie Vista in Bloomington, one stroke ahead of Eureka junior Trevor Gold, who almost caught Timpe by finishing birdie-eagle-birdie-par.

Timpe, who finished two hours earlier, stood with one arm around teammate Zach Lacher and his fingers crossed behind his back as Gold missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 that would have forced a playoff.

"I was nervous," Timpe said. "I have to give him a round of applause for finishing the way he did."

Timpe finished 22nd as a sophomore but did not reach state last year.

"When I was a sophomore down here, people were telling me I could eventually be a state champion," Timpe said. "I laughed them off."